Device for supporting and spacing guard-rails.



PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

. H. M. STEWARD.

DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING AND SPAGING GUARD RAILS.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26. 1906.

v [2206226021 I Z to a support a, preferablya metal plate, which a holding device, which may also serve as a sleeper The tie-plate c is provided with an UNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY M. STEWABD, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE- FOR SUPPORTING AND sPAome GUARD-RAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ma 29, 1906.

Application filed January 26, 1906. Serial No. 297,985.

To all whom it may concern).-

Be it known that I, HARRY M. STEWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing in Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improve-. ment in Devices for Sup orting and Spacing Guard-Rails, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a device especially designed, among other uses to be employed to secure a guard-rail inproper position with relation to the running-rail of a railway, and has for its object to provide a simple and efficient device for the purpose specified. For this purpose I employ a support for the guard, rail, preferably a metal plate whichis screwed or otherwise permanently secured to the sleeper 'or tie and which will be hereinafter referred to as the tie-plate," and provide the said tie-plate with an upright wall or abutment to which the guard-rail is secured, as will be described. The guard-rel is adjustable on the said tie-plate toward andfrom the running-rail and may be secured in its adjusted osition by a bolt extended'thro'ugh the said guard-rail and abutment and through spacing means, preferably a filler-block, and one or more shims which are interposed between the said guard-rail and abutment. The guard-rail may be secured to the tie-plate by fastening'device for the running rail. These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 represents in end elevation a spacing device for guard-rails embodying this invention, the guard-rail and running-rail being shown in section; Fig. 2, a plan view of the device shown in Fig; l, and Fig. 3 a detail of one of the shims shown in Figs, 1 and 2.

. Referring to the drawings a re resents the running-rail, b the guard-rail emp oyed therewith, and both of which maybe of any suitable or desired construction, such as now commonly employed on railways, and particularly elevated railways. In accordance with this invention the guard-rail b is secured is fastened, as :by screws'd e, to the tie or upr ghtwalLg, preferably reinforced by one or more ribs or braces h, and in practice said tie.- late, upright wall, and braces may be m e in one piece. The tie-plate c is designed to be practically permanently fastened to the tie or sleeperf, and the guard-rail bis movable on said tie-plate to adjust it with relation to the running-rail a to compensatev for wearand is maintained rigid in its adjust-, ed positlon, which may be accomplished, as shown, by means interposed between the .said' guard-rail and the abutment g and a suitable device or devices connecting said guard-rail'and interposed means to said abutment. In the present instance the interposed means is shown as a metal filler-block j and a plurality of metal shims 7c, and the fastening device is shown as a bolt m, extended through the abutment g, the shims 7c, fillerblock 7', and web of the uard-rail, said bolt having its head n prefera ly engaging a boss 0- on the rear surface of said upright wallor abutment g and having its opposite end provided with a nut p, which engages a washer 10, through which said bolt is extended and which engages the web of the guard-rail. The washer 10 maybe, and preferably is, rovided with a footpiece or extension 12, w ich projects. substantially at right angles to said washer and serves as a holding device for the inner side of the running-rail, over which it may project, as represented in Fig.1 1, and which may be fastened to the tie by the lagscrews e, which extend through slots 14 in Said foot or extension and through a clip 15, which rests on the inner flange of the running-rail and on' a raised portion 16 of the tie-plate.

The outer flange 17 of the running-rail may be secured to the tie f by spikes 18 or other devices in the usual manner. e

From the'above description it will be seen that the guard-rail b is not secured directly to the tie or sleeper, but is supportedon a tieplate,'which is secured to the tie and'is not disturbed when it is desired to adjust the guard I rail, thereby avoiding the tie or sleeper being filled with spike-holes and becoming what is practically known as spike-killed. As aresult, the life and effectiveness of the ties or rial y prolonged. Furthermore, the guard- 'rail is not fastened to therunning-rail by sleelpers supporting the guard-rail are mateholes in the running-rail, avoiding weakening fixed or stationary by setting up the nuts 12' and screws e.

In the initial positioning of the uard-rail one or more shims 70 may be inserte between the abutment and the filler-block, 'or they may be removed therefrom, and when the guard-rail is properlybacked it may be rigidly I secured by setting up the nuts p and screws 6. The slots 14 in the loot-plateor extension 12 enable the same to be moved without withdrawing the screws e from the tie or slee er.

e guard-rail may be of any suitable form or construction; but I may prefer that herein shown, in which the greater portion of the wearing-surface is located on one side of a line throu h the center of the web of said rail,

' wherebyt e life of the guard-rail is materially prolonged. Furthermore, I may prefer to employ a guardrail in which the web is inclined with relation to its base and head and in which the flange 20 on, the opposite side of the web to the head is made wider than the flange 21 on the same side as the web. The

u rght Wall or abutment g is preferably inc ined, so as to be substantially parallel with the web of the guard-rail.

W' th the construction herein shown it will be noticed that variousadjustments of the guard-rail may be efiected by means of the shims, thereby enabling the filler blocks to be made of one size for each pattern. or-ki'nd of guard-rails It will be understood that while it may bev preferred tones the kind or shape of aidrail herein shown the invention is not hmited in this respect, as it can be used'equally well With the ordinary T-railor any other form of rail. It will be understood that the shims 7c are provided with slots 22, which enable the said shims to be slipped over the bolt m,

In the present instance the abutment or upright wall 9 is inclined with relation to the tie-p ate; but it is not desired to vention in this respect.

' I claim- 1. In a device of the character described,

limit the inan 11 right wall or abutment, means interpose between said guardrail andsaid abutment to space said guard-rail from saidrunping-rail, and a bolt extended-through said said olt in enga em'ent with said guard-rail and provided wit a foot or extension havin a slot and cooperating with said running-mi to hold the same in osition, and means extended through said slot for securing said foot or extension in its operative position, substantially as described.

3. In a deviceof the character described, in combination, a running-rail, a ard-rail, a tie-plate provided with an uprig t wall or abutment and upon which said guard-rail is sup orted, spacing meansinterposed between sai' guard-rail and said abutment, a bolt extended through said abutment, spacing means, and said guard-rail, awasher on said bolt having a foot or extension, provided with a slot, anut on said bolt to engage said Washer,

and means extended through said slotted foot and said tie-plate, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, in combination, a tie-plate provided with an upright wall or abutment, a guard-railrest- 'ing on saidtie-plate and movable thereon toward and from said abutment, spacin means interposed between said guard-mi and said abutment, and means lac-positively secure said guard-rail and spacing means to said abutment, substantially as described.

5. In combination, atie, a tie-plate secured to said tie and providedwithan-upright Wall or abutment, a runnin rail supported upon said tie-plate, a gem. -railsupported upon said tie-platebet-ween said running-rail and said abutment and movable toward and from said running rail, s ae-ingmeans interposed between said guard railand said abutment, and means extended through said spacing means to fasten the said spacing means to said abutment and guard-rail, substantially as described.

6. In combination, a running-rail, an abutment, a guard-rail interposed between said running-rail and said abutment and movable toward and from said running rail, and

means to positively secure said guard-rail to in combination, a running-rail, a guard-rail, a, support for send guard rail provided with I said abutment, substantially as described.

7. In combination, a tie-plate providedwith-an upright wall or abutment, a running- Iftll resting on said tie-plate, a guardrail interposed between said running-rail and said abutment and movable toward first.

running-rail, and means to positively secure In testimony whereof I have signed my said guard-rail in its adjusted positionto said name to this specification in the presence of abutmentQsubstantially as described. two subscribing witnesses.

8. a The tie-plate 0 having an upright wall 9 HARRY M. STEWARD.

5 and reinforcing-braces h separated from each Witnesses:

other and integral with said upright wall and J AS. H. CHURCHILL. t ie-plate, substantially as described. J. MURPHY. 

